Device management apparatus, device management system, and device management method

• US 9,396,084 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hyo, Kiyohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Dean
• Application Number:
  US14/341,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3048 where the topology of the computing system or computing system component explicitly influences the monitoring activity, e.g. serial, hierarchical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3068 where the reporting involves data format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00832 Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A device management apparatus connected to a plurality of devices via a network includes a collecting unit that receives usage data indicating a status of use of each of the devices from each of the devices and that stores the received usage data in a storage device, and a common data acquiring unit that acquires common data that is common to the devices from the usage data of each of the devices stored in the storage device.

Claims

1. A device management apparatus, comprising:

a network interface to connect a first device and a second device; and

a processor configured to

receive, from the first device, first usage data indicating use of the first device, the first usage data including first specific data specific to the first device, the first specific data having a first format which indicates a number of output sheets,

receive, from the second device, second usage data indicating use of the second device, the second usage data including second specific data specific to the second specific device, the second specific data having a second format which indicates an operating time,

receive, from a user interface, one or more parameters to be used for conversion of the second specific data included in the second usage data which has been received to converted usage data, the converted usage data having the first format of the first specific data,

convert the second specific data included in the received second usage data to the converted usage data in accordance with the one or more parameters for conversion which have been received, and

generate report data based on the first specific data included in the received first usage data and the converted usage data, the converted usage data having been converted from the second specific data.

2. The device management apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output the generated report data.

3. The device management apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor outputs the generated report data by sending the generated report data to a destination.

4. The device management apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor outputs the generated report data by displaying the generated report data on a display device.

5. The device management apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein the first device is a printing device and, the second device is a projector or a television conference terminal or a media board.

6. The device management apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device including memory for storing the first usage data and the second usage data.

7. A device management method, comprising:

sending, to a device management apparatus from a first device, first usage data indicating use of the first device, the first usage data including first specific data specific to the first device, the first specific data having a first format which indicates a number of output sheets;

sending, to the device management apparatus from a second device, second usage data indicating use of the second device, the second usage data including second specific data specific to the second specific device, the second specific data having a second format which indicates an operating time; and

receiving report data from the device management apparatus, the report data have been generated by the device management apparatus based on the first specific data included in the first usage data sent from the first device and converted usage data, the converted usage data having the first format of the first specific data and being converted by the device management apparatus from the second specific data included in the second usage data sent from the second device in accordance with the one or more parameters for conversion which have been received from a user interface.

8. A device management system, comprising:

a device management apparatus;

a first device configured to send first usage data indicating use of the first device to the device management apparatus, the first usage data including first specific data specific to the first device, the first specific data having a first format which indicates a number of output sheets; and

a second device configured to send second usage data indicating use of the second device to the device management apparatus, the second usage data including second specific data specific to the second device, the second specific data having a second format which indicates an operating time,

wherein the device management apparatus includes;

a network interface to connect the first device and the second device, and

a processor configured to

receive, from the first device, the first usage data,

receive, from the second device, the second usage data,

convert the second specific data included in the received second usage data to converted usage data in accordance with one or more parameters for conversion which have been received from a user interface, the converted usage data having the first format of the first specific data, and

generate report data based on the first specific data included in the received first usage data and the converted usage data, the converted usage data have been converted from the second specific data.

9. The device management system claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to output the generated report data.

10. The device management system claimed in claim 9, wherein the processor outputs the generated report data by sending the generated report data to a destination.

11. The device management system claimed in claim 9, wherein the processor outputs the generated report data by displaying the generated report data on a display device.

12. The device management system claimed in claim 8, wherein the first device is a printing device, the second device is a projector or a television conference terminal or a media board.